Chapter 204
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: Assault on the Demon King's Castle - 3
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Lee Hyun-wook and Agaydika stood facing each other.
They had clashed only once, for a mere few dozen seconds, but that alone had devastated a hundred-meter radius.
As the atmosphere grew so tense that further conversation seemed impossible, it looked as though both sides were on the verge of mobilizing their forces for an all-out battle. But just at that moment…
*Drip… drop… drip…*
Rain suddenly began to fall—a rain thick with holy power that cooled the overheated air.
*Grrrrr?*
The Ancient Red Drakes caught in the downpour stopped snorting and stared blankly up at the sky.
“Huh, this is…”
“My head feels clear!”
The potential spell in their minds had been broken.
“...Does this mean our heads won’t explode if we defy those bastards?”
“So… is this our chance to escape?”
“Or maybe it’s a chance to fight back.”
A strange current began to flow among them.
Though they were all of the same species, some had sided with the Demon King, while others had resisted until the very end, only to be shackled by the ‘potential spell.’
*Grrrr—*
Just a month ago, they had lived and struggled together as one people, despite belonging to different tribes. Now, they were split into two factions, the rift between them deep.
But no sparks flew just yet. They were all under the command of different beings.
Agaydika and Chahalis.
With both of them at the front, the drakes had no choice but to wait for their orders.
“...But what are those two doing?”
Meanwhile, the confrontation between Lee Hyun-wook and Agaydika had paused. The two had lowered their weapons and were now conversing at close range.
At that, the battlefield fell into complete silence.
All eyes were fixed on the two of them.
*Fwoooosh—*
After their conversation concluded, Agaydika turned his head and looked at his subordinates waiting in the rear. His eyebrows twitched a few times, as if he could see something in their eyes.
“...It really has been lifted. All of it. I never imagined this was possible.”
His voice had lost some of its anger. It seemed his hostility toward Lee Hyun-wook had somewhat subsided. Lee Hyun-wook took another step forward and asked in a gentler tone.
“So, were you planning to serve the Demon King forever? You don’t seem the type.”
“...I believed that if I waited, a day would come when I could kill him. Even if it took decades, or even centuries.”
“Ah, so I’ve saved you some time, then?”
Lee Hyun-wook took another step closer, entering Agaydika’s striking range with his bare hands. It was a gesture that expressed not only his lack of intent to fight but also a degree of trust.
At this, the other three Ancient Red Drakes glared at him with wary expressions.
Lee Hyun-wook kept a close watch on their movements with Hugin and Munin. Because…
- Chahalis, Eastern Ruler of the Red Volcano (LV: 193)
*Demon King's Vassal*
- Eastern Centurion of the Red Volcano (LV: 181)
*Demon King's Vassal*
- Eastern Centurion of the Red Volcano (LV: 181)
*Demon King's Vassal*
All three were vassals of the Demon King.
‘Chahalis is a boss monster. The other two are elite monsters. This won’t be easy.’
Still, they seemed hesitant to step forward, likely wary of Agaydika, the Guardian of the Red Volcano, a being far stronger than themselves.
“...But can you people truly say you’re any different from the Demon King?”
Agaydika suddenly asked.
Lee Hyun-wook looked puzzled.
“Is that even a question? You know why I came here—”
“He was one of you. A so-called Player.”
Only then did Lee Hyun-wook understand.
“Didn’t you Players relentlessly attack us while we were living peacefully in this Red Volcano… even though we held no grudge against you?”
“...”
“Whether we slept or hunted, we were always on guard against your invasions.”
From the Ancient Red Drakes’ perspective, all Players were invaders.
“We did not forcibly take this land, as you claim. You know that as well. When we arrived, you were not here—only volcanic terrain and wasteland. We pioneered this empty land and built our homes.”
On this point, humanity had its own grievances. Strictly speaking, they had lost all of California and were merely trying to reclaim it.
But the Ancient Red Drakes, having appeared after the Corrosion, claimed they had simply settled on ownerless land.
‘This isn’t something to debate here.’
To argue that point, one would need to understand the fundamental nature and purpose of this game.
Who had thrown the Earth into such chaos, and why had they sent these unknown monsters to force humanity into a struggle called a game?
But that wasn't a problem he could solve by thinking about it now. Perhaps by following the ‘Main Quest’ given to him, he might one day reach that truth, but…
“...First, we all have to kill the Demon King before we can think about what comes next, don’t we?”
There were priorities.
“If we can’t kill the Demon King, we will be annihilated. I don’t know if you will be, but you’ll be miserable slaves.”
“...”
“And besides, you don’t have any other options. That’s why I told you to seize this chance. Think about the rest later.”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly turned his head to look at Chahalis.
The drake’s mouth was moving, indicating he was communicating with someone far away through magic.
‘Probably the Demon King.’
The Demon King was likely observing the situation. Realizing his attempt to buy time had failed, he would surely come up with another plan… There was no time to waste.
*Step—*
Lee Hyun-wook took a step toward Chahalis. The drake grimaced and took a step back.
The other two, the elite monsters known as the ‘Eastern Centurions of the Red Volcano,’ stepped forward as if to guard him.
Seeing that all three bore the title ‘Eastern,’ they were likely blood relatives.
As Lee Hyun-wook approached them, he reached behind him, and the greatsword he had planted in the ground, Moglay, flew into his hand.
*Thwack—!*
The greatsword glinted menacingly in the sunlight.
“Don’t overthink it. We need to solve what we can solve now.”
Lee Hyun-wook raised Moglay and walked past Agaydika.
Although his intentions were clearly to kill Chahalis, Agaydika did nothing.
He had completely sided with Lee Hyun-wook.
“And… since I’m showing my sincerity by pulling a few of your aching teeth for you, let’s make this work.”
Even if they were traitors to their kind, Agaydika, as the Guardian, might hesitate to kill his own kin due to his sense of duty. So Lee Hyun-wook would handle it for him.
At that, Chahalis shrieked in terror.
“—Hey, G-Guardian! Aren’t you supposed to protect me, to protect all of our kind? Huh?”
But Agaydika remained silent.
He let out a long sigh and glared at Chahalis with a wrathful expression.
Startled, the drake instinctively reached out a hand toward Agaydika and released a surge of mana.
*Woong—*
It seemed he had been given the authority to activate the ‘potential spell’ and was trying to control Agaydika with it… but, naturally, nothing happened.
“You really don’t get the situation, do you? Or is this just a desperate struggle?”
Lee Hyun-wook said with a smirk.
“You— You—!”
Chahalis brought his hands together, forming a magic circle from which a powerful flame erupted.
*Fwoom—!*
But Lee Hyun-wook simply swung Moglay, extinguishing the flames with ease.
“Without that one… you’re no match for me.”
Lee Hyun-wook said, gesturing toward Agaydika with his chin.
As the Guardian of the Red Volcano, Agaydika was a being more powerful than most dragons within this territory, making him a difficult opponent even for Lee Hyun-wook.
But an ordinary Ancient Red Drake, even a boss-grade one, was not something Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t defeat.
No. He could defeat them all.
At this point in time—no, even in the world eight years from now—he had grown strong enough to have no equal.
*Step— Step—*
Despite Lee Hyun-wook being so much smaller than them, the drakes cowered and retreated as he approached.
They could feel it, too.
The sheer scale of the power radiating from him.
“S-S-Stop that bastard!”
At Chahalis’s shout, the two centurions transformed into their true drake forms and charged.
Meanwhile, Chahalis clasped his hands together, attempting to cast a ‘short-range teleportation spell.’
“How dare a mere human!”
“—Die, you primitive lifeform!”
As the two charged, Lee Hyun-wook swung Moglay with all his might. Though it cut through empty air, ‘Space Cutter’ activated, launching an invisible blade of mana.
*Shhh-shhh-shhh—!*
The space around the two drakes’ waists distorted, and with a sickening *thud*, their scales shattered and blood erupted.
“Gak!”
“Kuh!”
As expected of such high-level monsters, a direct hit from Space Cutter wasn’t enough to kill them instantly.
But the damage was significant. They staggered back, their bodies beginning to swell.
By returning to their true forms, their regeneration speed would increase, so they were prioritizing defense.
But Lee Hyun-wook was already making his next move.
*Thwip— Thwip—*
Two silver arrows flew in an arc and simultaneously embedded themselves in the left eyes of the two drakes.
They had been focused solely on Lee Hyun-wook and failed to react to the attack coming from outside their line of sight.
*Kyak—*
In pain and with one eye blinded, they instinctively writhed. In that instant, Lee Hyun-wook kicked off the ground and closed the distance to their heads—swinging Moglay.
*Wham—! Wham—!*
It was a sword weighing a full 100 tons.
Even for an Ancient Red Drake, chunks of flesh were torn away, and bones snapped like twigs.
One drake clutched its neck, from which blood poured like a waterfall, and retreated. The other’s arm was torn from the shoulder, left dangling uselessly.
They were effectively out of the fight.
“Kuaaaah—”
“Gak, s-save me…”
Meanwhile, having used the two as bait, Chahalis completed his short-range teleport.
Just as he was about to move—
*Thud—!*
A spear slammed into his shoulder, scrambling the spell.
“Kuh!”
It was a Dragon Spear, thrown by Edward Woods.
“Stay right there.”
Edward Woods had already closed the distance.
“Kuh! Y-You—You brat…”
He drew another Dragon Spear and took a throwing stance.
But Chahalis managed to force the short-range teleport, and his form vanished from sight…
*Woong…*
“D-Damn it all!”
Because the spell had been disrupted by the spear, he reappeared a mere ten meters away.
He tried to cast the spell again, desperately trying to escape.
But…
*Cra—ash—!*
He failed to notice Moglay crashing down on him from above like a thunderbolt, and he was instantly turned into a pulp.
It was an anticlimactic victory—no, an overwhelming hunt.
“...”
Meanwhile, the army of several thousand Ancient Red Drakes watching the scene seemed at a complete loss.
As if they had forgotten how to move, they just milled about in place, unable to make a decision. Some let out cries tinged with anxiety.
It was a phenomenon known as ‘command collapse,’ which occurs in pack-type monsters. When a leader-class monster is eliminated, the rest temporarily fall into a debuffed state.
On top of that, they were likely confused about which side to take.
As if to provide an answer, Agaydika stepped up to stand beside Lee Hyun-wook.
The Ancient Red Drakes in the rear had no way of knowing what conversation had taken place, making it difficult for them to grasp the situation. But this single image explained everything.
A new alliance had been formed.
A commotion erupted among the drakes.
A few of them, likely those loyal to the Demon King, began to flee.
Others tried to stop them.
But the vast majority seemed to have decided to follow the Guardian of the Red Volcano, remaining in place and letting out thunderous roars.
*Groooaaar—*
It was a scene humans could hardly comprehend, but it seemed they were either cheering or chanting Agaydika’s name.
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook asked Agaydika.
“Agaydika. Do you know where the Demon King’s castle is?”
“…I do.”
“Lead me there. I’m going to kill the Demon King.”
But Agaydika’s reaction was skeptical.
“Even with our help, you alone won’t be enough. It’s true your attack put pressure on the Demon King, but that doesn’t mean your sword can pierce his heart.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“This isn’t all we have, so you don’t need to worry.”
He lifted his head and looked up at the sky.
“We’re just the vanguard. The main force will be here soon.”
***
At that moment, there were others watching the scene unfold…
“...This is insane. I thought those red lizards would hold out for at least a few hours if they went out in a swarm. Didn’t Gordon say they would?”
A burly man holding a large hammer spoke.
He stood inside a cave-like room, looking down through a window.
This was a lookout post of the Ancient Red Drakes, situated on a cliff of one of the Red Mountain peaks, offering a panoramic view of the wasteland where the recent commotion had taken place.
Just then, a woman holding a very long staff approached him from behind.
The staff was peculiar; a tiny fairy was mounted on its head.
At first glance, it looked like a simple carving, but upon closer inspection, one could see it was a truly shriveled fairy corpse… a mummy.
She also looked out the window and smacked her lips.
“Forget holding out, it looks like they’ve switched sides. Aren’t we completely screwed? An entire legion just defected.”
“Exactly. It hasn’t been that long since those lizard bastards got their asses kicked. They seem to have forgotten already.”
“Hmm, His Majesty the Demon King must have thought so too… Did Steel Rain get one over on us again? Ha, damn it, I have no idea what’s going on. Are we actually going to lose?”
“Hehehe—Rachel, don’t tell me you regret choosing to follow the Demon King?”
“N-No, of course not.”
At the large man’s question, she shook her head, startled. A slip of the tongue could get her reduced to a mere undead. It had happened to several others before.
The woman called Rachel spoke again.
“I am… very satisfied with this power, the power of a vassal of the Demon King. How could I doubt His Majesty after being granted such strength?”
These were Players who had responded to the ‘Demon King’s Invitation’ and entered his service.
Of course, the vast majority who received the invitation had ignored it, but there were others who hadn’t. For example, devil worshippers and Red Players… like them.
“Hehehe—Right? Where else could you get a power boost like this? And is that all? I never thought I’d be commanding monsters as my underlings in my lifetime.”
As the large man spoke, an orc approached and filled the empty glass on the table with liquor.
“I really feel like a noble.”
By becoming ‘Vassals of the Demon King,’ they had not only gained a tremendous increase in their abilities but some had also received the power to control monsters.
Just then—a blue magic circle formed in the center of the room.
*Woong—*
“Ah, looks like Gordon’s finally here.”
At that, the Players scattered around the room, the so-called ‘vassals’ of the Demon King, began to gather.
“Another new plan?”
“He’s not going to send us out this time, is he?”
“We still have the Titans and the Black Orcs before us. He’ll use them first.”
Soon, a figure appeared on the magic circle.
A tall man. A handsome white man in a suit with pomaded hair.
“Gordon.”
Gordon Price, the head of the world’s largest corporation, <Bluetree>.
If the world knew he supported the Demon King, it would be thrown into chaos.
He wasn’t just wealthy; he was also highly respected in Player society.
He slowly walked off the magic circle.
He approached the burly man, snatched the glass from his hand, and took a rough gulp.
“Uh… Gordon, it’s almost complete, isn’t it? The Demon King’s castle, I mean.”
The burly man asked cautiously, his massive frame looking awkward.
They were all waiting for the completion of the Demon King’s castle.
Once it was finished, the power of not only the Demon King but all his followers was set to increase dramatically.
The already formidable army of the Demon King would be strengthened several times over. They would no longer have to hide and be hunted by Steel Rain, but could march out to conquer the entire world.
That moment was not far off.
But with Steel Rain knocking loudly at their door, a sense of crisis had formed, prompting them to send out the Ancient Red Drake legion and the Guardian of the Red Volcano… only for Steel Rain’s forces to be bolstered instead.
The atmosphere was anything but good.
Gordon Price looked out the window and spoke.
“Not long now. Just seven hours until completion.”
“...We can hold out for that long, can’t we?”
The burly man asked, and Gordon Price shook his head.
“Max, it’s not about holding out.”
“Huh?”
“Even if the Demon King’s castle is completed, it’s useless if we don’t have the forces to receive its power. His Majesty wishes to preserve his army. That’s why he traveled the world subjugating monsters. So…”
He tilted his head down slightly, looking at one side of the mountain through the window.
*Rumble, rumble—*
A large hole formed there.
And something, a great many somethings, began to crawl out of it.
It was like the reaction when an anthill is disturbed.
“...The Undead Legion, which can be resurrected even if they die, has been sent out. From now on, you will protect the Demon King.”
The Necromancer Legion itself had been deployed.
A murmur spread through the room.
This was completely unexpected.
Rachel stepped forward and voiced her confusion.
“Uh… but wasn’t it difficult to bring out the Undead Legion right now? Because… I heard their power is severely weakened when the Saintess and that Laputa on the divine beast show up. That’s why they were being kept hidden for now. For a decisive blow later.”
Gordon Price nodded.
“Yes, it will certainly be a loss, but the Undead Legion can be restored even while the war is ongoing, so His Majesty has judged that some losses are acceptable.”
Gordon Price knew the formula for the power of a ‘Necromancer’ well. He was the one who had nurtured the being, after all.
“And most importantly…”
He raised his head and looked at the black smoke billowing from near another peak.
At that phenomenon, everyone’s gaze shifted in that direction.
And soon, gasps of awe erupted.
“Oh…”
“Is that, could it be…”
*Hoooong—*
A membranous wing burst through the black smoke.
A being so massive it made the great Red Volcano range look like a mere hill… it was a ‘Bone Dragon.’
And there were four of them… followed by Bone Wyverns and other flying undead, pouring out and filling the sky. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare everyone had imagined at least once.
Gordon Price watched the sight and slowly smiled.
The unpleasant feeling from moments ago washed away instantly.
“Undead of that level should be able to display their monstrous strength even in an area with slightly dense holy power.”
That wasn't all.
*Rumble, rumble…*
Another side of a mountain collapsed, and a cloud of dust began to rise from it. It was like a stampede of buffalo.
They were all ossified ‘Red Drake Skeletons.’
From three different points, an overwhelming number of undead began to pour out.
Looking down at the scene, Gordon Price let out a wry smile.
“Seeing it again, it still seems unbelievable.”
When he was raising the Necromancer, how much effort had it taken to create just one of those?
He had built a temple of death in the Central African Republic and offered countless sacrifices to create a single one.
And its power was truly immense, having torn Steel Rain’s Ancient Iron Golem to shreds during their clash.
But now there were hundreds of them.
“And that’s not all. I have my own preparations.”
He said, raising his head to look at the sky.
From a mountain ridge, rocket-like objects were soaring high into the sky, trailing white smoke.
“Huh, what are those?”
“...‘Mana Inversion Shells’ developed by my company.”
“Mana Inversion Shells?”
“A type of EMP that temporarily disrupts mana circuits. In other words, for the next few minutes, his satellite weapon in low orbit will be useless. We won’t have to worry about Moglay drops.”
At that, exclamations of ‘Oh—’ erupted from all around.
The most troublesome thing when dealing with Steel Rain was Moglay, imbued with immense gravity.
Soon, a flash of light appeared in the distant sky.
The Mana Inversion Shells had detonated.
Though not visible from here, they would have paralyzed the ‘Warbox’ in low orbit.
Not only that, but they were also fired over the Players’ camp, completely paralyzing their airships.
Among them would be the ‘Gauss Cannon’ that had taken down Leviathan in one shot. They had completely neutralized all of Steel Rain’s powerful attacks at the source.
“We weren’t just sitting around while he was running wild. While he was gathering resources from all over the world to build weapons, I was using my own money to build them too.”
Gordon Price slowly raised his glass and drained the remaining liquor.
Now, it was time to watch the joint victory he and the Demon King had orchestrated.
*Hoooong— Hoooong—*
The flying undead legion, led by the Bone Dragons, slowly lowered its altitude, preparing to descend upon the Players and the Ancient Red Drakes.
It was a sight reminiscent of a squadron of dive bombers from World War II.
Of course, the ‘Holy Sword’ that Lee Hyun-wook wielded was still a concern. If he applied it to Moglay, he could even retire a Bone Dragon.
‘But even that will take a long time.’
No matter how large Moglay was, it was nothing more than a fruit knife before a Bone Dragon. It would not be easy to exert its power—a Bone Dragon would not fall in a single blow.
‘He’ll have to hit it at least a dozen times.’
And what the Demon King’s side needed was time.
‘Go ahead and try your best to kill them. The moment the Demon King’s castle is complete, they’ll all be revived anyway…’
Just then—
“Hey! A Wide Hole opened!”
A circular white ring formed in the sky above the Player camp.
“...Don’t tell me, is Laputa coming?”
“Wow, what terrible timing.”
They were aware of Laputa, who had been transplanted with the Divine Tree.
It had to appear just as the Undead Legion was deploying.
At that, Gordon Price shook his head as if to reassure them.
“Even if the concentration of holy power in the area increases, it won’t be easy to take down a Bone Dragon. We accounted for that when we sent out the Undead Legion.”
However, what came out of the Wide Hole was something completely different.
It was…
“...Huh, is that a dragon?”
That’s right.
A white dragon emerged from the portal and ascended vertically. Behind it, a fleet of airships appeared one after another.
But the dragon’s appearance was very strange.
*Wheeeeer—*
All sorts of mechanical devices were attached to its body.
Then, it opened its mouth, and a white breath shot out, striking one of the Bone Dragons.
*Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga—!*
The breath was a mass of pure holy power, and even a mighty Bone Dragon couldn’t withstand it and melted away.
The first to melt were its membranous wings, causing it to lose lift and plummet—crashing to the ground.
*Craaash—!*
One Bone Dragon was retired in the blink of an eye.
And then—
*Thooom—kwa—kwa—kwa—*
With a thunderous roar, missiles poured out from all over the mechanical dragon’s body. Simultaneously, with a *zing*, dozens of beams of light were fired.
Its entire body was a weapon.
A holy power weapon, at that.
The onslaught covered the sky.
Just a few seconds after the first Bone Dragon fell, the flying undead began to drop like moths drawn to a flame.